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16 Tents served as temporary housing for the CCC men until permanent wooden bar- racks were erected at the Lamoille Canyon camp. program in Cong•ess. CCC members sh ould ... the regimentation o· transportation, tra n Despite the unfa _ Barracks at the Lamoille Canyon CCC camp. The installation was started in 1934 and introduced on Nia er was closed in 1937. The CCC men built the road up the canyon. March 31. 4 The program haa - and most states haa 1ocated in their sta e Nevada, like other Com mittee, in conJu~ d elegation to Congres_ camps." Nevada Senators Ke--. : prepared a proposa · unemployment. Th e pr- reforesting burned-Over reforesting other parts c extensive. 5 No specific locatior · Russell, Jr. suggested Chamber of Commerce· in the Ruby Mountains r Mountains near Las Vega:. 17 CIVILIAN CONSERVATION CORPS 4.:t~~ ELKO COUNTY: 1933-1942 ~ ., BY DIANA L. NEEF ~ .- Today's state of the economy is often compared with that of the Great Depression. There is a constant search for a method to employ the millions looking for jobs. One method being considered is to revive Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930's and 1940's. The National Association of Civilian Conservation Corps Alumni is dedicated to making the "CCC II" a reality. 1 ~ In his New Deal plans the CCC was one of Roosevelt's many experiments to put the country back to work and get it on its feet economically. Roosevelt's scheme to develop a ! "tree army" w as not a unique idea. Many other countries had already employed such a concept; by 1932 the governments of Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, I Denmark, Austria and Germany had established conservation camps for their unemployed. ~ The German Labor Service w as to become the best known of these and the one most easily compared to the CCC. 2 On March 9, 1933 Roosevelt called an emergency session of Congress to hear and authorize his program. He asked the law makers to grant him emergency powers and in return he w ould have 250,000 men in work camps by the end of July, 1933. 3 There w as much opposition to the president's proposal. The similarity to the German Labor Service threatened the approach of socialism and delayed the passage of the program in Congress. Also, organized labor felt the corps w ould take jobs that union members should hold. But, above all, organized labor feared that the CCC would lead to the regimentation of labor because Roosevelt wanted to enlist the aid of the U.S. Army for transportation, training and administrative purposes. Despite the unfavorable reaction to the project by the opposition, Senate Bill S598 was c 1n 1934 and introduced on March 27, 1933, passed both houses and was signed by the president on March 31 .4 The program had great public support. Young men across the country flocked to enroll and most states had delegatic.,, 1s in Washington to increase their chances of having a camp located in their state. J Nevada, like other states, hoped to participate. On March 30, 1933, the State Relief Committee, in conjunction with the Reno Chamber of Commerce, met with the Nevada delegation to Congress about the possibility of securing one of the " labor concentration camps." Nevada Senators Key Pittman and Patrick McCarran, w ith Congressman James Scrugham, prepared a proposal to present to Congress outlining Nevada's need for relief from unemployment. The proposal outlined some of the work needed to be done in the state: i reforesting burned-over and cut-over areas on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada and "' reforesting other parts of the state where lumbering and forest fire destruction had been ~ extensive. 5 No specific location for the CCC camps had been discussed, so Elko's Mayor George ~ Russell, Jr. suggested that Elko County seek aid from the reforestation bill. He urged the Elko Chamber of Commerce to convince representatives of the advantages of including a camp in the Ruby Mountains in their proposal. This and other campsites, one in the Charleston Mountains near Las Vegas and one in the Schell Creek Range near Ely, were added to the 18 Lieutenants C Lined up for inoculations at the CCC camp in Lamoille Canyon. proposal. Later, camps at Dixie National Forest, Nevada National Forest and another Elko County will only be a County installation at Gold Creek were added. these men will perf()IT"" Included with the Nevada proposal w as a letter by Scrugham recommending organiza- road and trail building tion of a " prospecting army." This group would be sent over the hills of Nevada and other workers had started a mining states under the same terms of employment as the reforestation army except that the Elko County had sever recruits would be placed on a fifty .fifty grubstake basis. The federal government, the Canyon, Gold Creek, A grubstaker, was to receive fifty percent of the net returns from any paying prospects Cherry Creek in Whi te P developed and the locator would get the remaining half. 6 Jim Meeks of Elko _ Congress approved Nevada 's request for its numerous camps but Scrugham's proposi- graduated from high sc tion for a "prospecting army" was ignored. The lawmakers appointed Cecil W. Creel, entire summer for the • secretary of the Nevada Relief Committee, as director of the reforestation work in the state. managed to earn only • He would later be instrumental in establishing the many CCC camps in Elko County. Through didn't have enough mO<' his appointment, Creel was to select men for the reforestation and flood control work find a job in the lumre camps. Creel stated, on April 13, 1933, " .. .men, ages 18 to 25 will be enrolled starting April Herecalled: "lwas wa · 24. The first men will come from Reno and Las Vegas and other points receiving relief."1 me why I wasn't in schoo. Meanwhile, Elko Chamber of Commerce officials decided that funding to build a road Oregon to try and earn up Lamoille Canyon and another road through Owyhee Canyon leading to Mountain City because his uncle, the 1oc was worth going after. The Lamoille Canyon road was greatly desired by the people of Elko only had to stay six man County who hoped to make the canyon into a w eekend recreation area . Likewise, the those days. I went up a Mountain City road was pursued by people involved w ith a booming copper producer, could even read or write the Rio Tinto Mine, who hoped to gain an all-weather highway. The Mountain City project he told me that he cou1c : was later abandoned because of rumors that a railroad was to be built on the same scared me off. But I deciae proposed roadbed. later I found myself in E • Harry Bartlett, president of the Elko Chamber of Commerce, telegraphed Creel affirming "First they sent me to a that Elko County was indeed interested in getting a CCC camp. On April 17, the county There they taught us how • received confirmation that there would be camps located in the area . They were also told our shoes and if they d id" • that over four hundred men would be stationed at the camps. This meant, to the local through the pipeline to 0v· people, that over $220,000 would be spent in the coming months. It w as announced in the camps - like the mi lita Elko Daily Free Press that "the men will come from the crowded cities of the East; Elko "I arrived in Elko in Jan 19 i - !" i; I iQ; a:i I ! Lieutenants Charvez and Rycroft at the Lamoille Canyon CCC camp. another El ko County will only be allowed to contribute ten percent of the men to be enrolled. The work these men will perform under this plan in Nevada will not mean the planting of trees but of ~ing organiza- road and trail building in the national forests. " 8 By May 19 the preparation of the camps for ada and other workers had started and, within a month, actual work had begun. except that the Elko County had several CCC camps, included were encampments at Tuscarora, Lamoille ;1ernment, the Canyon, Gold Creek, Angel Lake and the Hubbard Ranch . Another nearby camp was at rig prospects Cherry Creek in White Pine County. Jim Meeks of Elko was 19 at the time he joined the CCC. He recalled that he had just m's proposi - graduated from high school and was hoping to continue on to college. After working the ecil W. Creel, entire summer for the Tennessee Valley Authority on a rural electrification program he in the state. managed to earn only $152. Summer was over and so was his job with the TVA and he rity. Through didn't have enough money to start college. He decided to buy a bus ticket to Oregon and control work find a job in the lumber mills. 9 ~ starting April He recalled : "I was waiting to get on the bus and a school friend happened by and asked ing rel ief." 7 me why I wasn't in school and I told him I didn't have enough money. But that I was going to ouild a road Oregon to try and earn some. He told me that I didn't need to waste money on a ticket because his uncle, the local CCC registration officer, could get me out west free. He said I only had to stay six months and I could get out.

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